Toe-straightening appliance.



W. M. SCHOLL.

TOE STRAIGHTBNING APPLIANGE.

APPLICATION FILED JAILZZ, 1912.

Patented Dec. 2, 1913.

m/en-nr 9m... om. @5m M WILLIAM IVI. SCHOLL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,

TOE-STRAIGHTENING- APPLIANCE.

Speccaton of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 22, 1912.

Patented Dec. 2, 1913.

Serial No. 672,599.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, WILLIAMM. SoHoLL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and use ful Improvement-s in Toe-Straightening Appliances, of which the following isa specification.

My invention relates to improvements in toe straightening appliances for the correction of bunionsV and other ailments arising from displacement of the toes, and has for its object to provide a cheap, simple, eflicient, adjustable, and comfortable appliance for insertion between the toes to spread them properly apart.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a plan view with parts in section showing an embodiment of my invention as applied to a human foot which is illustrated in dotted lines; Fig. 2 is a full plan view thereof; Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the appliance; Fig. 5 is a perspective view of an adjusting wedge; and Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a slightly modified embodiment of the invention, for use between the smaller toes.

The appliance consists primarily of a base 10, a toe spreading wedge 11, and a wedge cover 12, all preferably molded of a single piece of rubber. The base 10 is preferably made of such extent in planV that it may underlie the balls of two adjoining toes, and thence extend rearwardly beneath the ball of the foot, that is, the heads of the meta-v tarsal bones of the corresponding joints. The thickness of the base 10 is sufficient to maintain the base flat and prevent its buc kling up under the rubbing action of the foot, throughout its major area, the edges of the base being thinned down so that the upper surface merges gradually into the lower surface, making no abrupt shoulders to discommode the wearer.

When the appliance is constructed of appropriate size for use between the great toe and the second toe, the heel portion of the appliance which extends under the ball of the foot is recessed as at 14 to form a pocket arranged to underlie the enlarged joint of the great toe, such pocket accommodating the bursa of the joint which is usually enlarged and very sensitive where a bunion exists.

The toe spreading wedge 11 is appropriately located upon the forward area of the base, in advance of and slightly to one side of the joint recess 14, such wedge having side walls meeting at the rear end, and termina-ting at the front edge of the base as best shown in Fig. 1. The cover portion 12 of the wedge entirely overlies the side walls and preferably extends laterally therebeyond and over the rear oint of the wedge to form a retaining flange 12', the side walls of the wedge preferably merging into the flanges12 and into the base in smooth curves comfortably to receive the side surfaces of the toes. The front edge of the wedge is open as at 15, and into the hollow wedge-shaped internal pocket formed be-y tween the side walls 11 is inserted a yielding wedge shaped filler 16, of felt, sponge rubber, or other yielding material, preferably of such resilient character as to be compressible to some extent by the toes, but to tend constantly to press the toes apart. By variations in the size of the filler 16, variations in the eifective width of the spreader wedge may be made, as the side walls 11 of the rubber wedge are suiiiciently thin to be more or less collapsible by the pressure of the toes.

As shown in Fig. 5, the spreading appliances may be made in small size without the recess 14 for spreading the smaller toes, the fillers of course being proportionately reduced.

In practice the spreaders may be applied as indicated diagrammatically in Fig. 1, the two adjoining toes being spread by the wedge portion of the rubber, filled with the appropriate filler, and such toes being embraced above and below by the flange 12 and the base 10. The device is worn directly against the flesh, and its longitudinal and lateral extent are sufficient to give the balls of the toes and the ball of the foot firm bearing to prevent its displacement, the pocket 14 receiving the greater toe joint enlargement and by the drawing and heating effect of the rubber against the skin having a reducing influence on bunion enlargement, aiding the restoration of the j oint. to normal. The spreading action of the wedge tends constantly to force the great toe into its proper straight position, but the adaptability of the device secured by variation of the sizes of the filler wedges and the compressibility thereof, enables the device yso to be used gradually to attain its straightening eifect without too severe a spreading pressure.

What I claim is:

1. In a structure of the character described, the combination of a base, two substantially vertical walls rising from said base, spaced apart at their front ends to leave an end opening and converging from the front area of the base toward the rear, and a cover member overlying said vertical walls, all of said parts being permanently united and constituting a wedge shaped spreader of the character described.

2. In a structure of the character described, the combination of a base, two substantially vertical walls rising from said base and converging from the front area thereof toward the rear, a cover member overlying said vertical walls, all of said arts beinO Jermanentl united and consti-- tuting a wedge spreader, open at its front end, and a yielding iller member for the insertion between said vertical walls through the front opening.

3. In a structure of the character described", the combination of a base and a spreader upon said base, said base extending rearwardly beyond said spreader and having formed therein a joint receiving recess suitably located with respect to said spreader.

4. In a struct-ure of the character described, the combination of a base of extent in plan to underlie the ball of a human foot and the balls o-f two adjoining toes, and provided with a recess to receive the joint of one of the toes underlain by said base, two substantially vertical walls extending above the base to lie between the two toes underlain by said base, said walls converging to-` scribed, a base having an upper surface shaped for conformity to a human foot under the enlarged joint of an affected' toe, and means rising from said base for coaction between said affected toe and an adjacent toe comprising two substantially vertical walls integral with said base, said walls integrally connected at their rear edges and diverging forwardly to form a. hollow wedge-shaped member open between its free front edges, and a horizontal top part spanning the space between said vertical walls and integral therewith, in combination with a suitable yielding filler adapted to fit between said vertical walls and beneath said top part, said walls and top part being of resilient material.

G. In a structure of the character described, the combination of a base, two substantially vertical walls rising from said base, converging from the front end thereof toward the rear and united at their rear end, and a cover member overlying said vertical walls; all -of said parts integrally formed of rubber and constituting a wedge shaped spreader open at its front end.

7 In a structure of the character described, the combination of a base, having a lateral extent adapted to underlie two adjacent toes, two substantially vertical walls rising from said base and converging from thefront areathereof toward the rear, and a cover member overlying said Vertical walls, said cover member extending transversely beyond said vertical walls to an extent less than the transverse extentl of the base, and said base, vertical walls, and cover member all termina-ting at their front ends in substantially a vertical plane and constituting a wedge shaped spreader open at its front end.

In testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

VILLIAM M. SCHOLL.

In the presence of- IV. LINN ALLEN, MARY F. ALLEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, j

Washington, D. C. 

